


Rhink Drabble Collection

by Isra



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Adoption, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Bear Onesie, Blood, Blood Kink, Camp, Chocolate, College, Costumes, Dancing, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Food, Hawkman Trailer, Illness, M/M, Massage, Parenthood, Practice on Me, Puppy Play, Rabbit Lightning - Freeform, Secret Admirer, Thunderstorms, VidCon, War, Weddings, Wigs, blood oath
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-08 02:01:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 13,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4286424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isra/pseuds/Isra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An ongoing collection of short scenes (300-1000 words) written in response to prompts. Most are set in the present day, but some are during childhood, high school, college, or in alternate universes. Fluff and sexytimes, nothing terribly explicit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Fading Away"

He’d noticed over the past few months that Link had developed a tendency to stroke his own palm with the thumb of his opposite hand. The action had slowly crept into the man’s repertoire of fidgets, adding to the way he shifted in his seat and twisted his wedding band around his finger. At first Rhett took no note of it; he didn’t want to make the man self-conscious. But eventually it became a constant in their videos and the fans started commenting and Rhett became concerned.

They were sitting in the office after the latest taping and Rhett looked over to see Link twisting his hands around in his lap. He decided he couldn’t wait any longer. “Something wrong with your hand?” he asked.

Link jumped slightly and looked over at him, then down. “No, it’s…”

“If you’ve got some pain you should get it checked out right away, you know. The way you type it could easily be carpal tunnel.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” the other man mumbled. “It’s just… I noticed a few month ago that I think it’s fading away.”

“What is?”

Link chewed his bottom lip. “The scar.”

Ah. Rhett glanced down to his own palm, where a faint white line still followed what he’d learned palm readers called his life line. Memories crowded his mind of the cow pasture, the jagged piece of glass, the promise they made to each other. 

He reached over and took Link’s hand, pulling it gently toward himself as the other man yielded. He held it up to the amber afternoon sunlight and leaned forward to examine it closely. Back in that cow pasture, Link had cut his hand more vertically, along the curve which Rhett later learned was his fate line. For a moment Rhett’s stomach sank as he surveyed the smooth skin, but then he turned Link’s hand sightly and the faint ridge of flesh caught the light. 

“I found it,” he said, and traced it slowly with his finger. 

“It’s here,” he whispered, and brought Link’s palm to his lips. 

“Don’t worry, brother,” he murmured as he kissed the warm skin. “It’s never going to fade completely.”


	2. "Fever"

Link followed the taller man into their dorm room, trailing behind in the wave of heat and sweat-musk that rolled off of his best friend. “That was an awesome game!” The blond enthused as he mopped the sweat from the back of his neck with NC State hand towel.

Link closed the door and turned the lock. Sweat was streaming down his own neck even though he hadn’t been playing; just sitting and watching the pickup basketball game in the sweltering July heat had been enough. And not just watching the action, but watching Rhett in particular. Just as he watched the man strip off his sopping wet t-shirt and toss it to the floor now.

He stepped forward and caught the taller man around the waist. “Wanna play an even more awesome game?” he purred.

“Oh, Link, I’m so sweaty…” Rhett demurred. 

“I know. I like it.” Link ducked forward and ran his tongue up the side of the man’s neck, collecting the salty droplets and feeling his breath quicken at the taste. He nipped and tugged the flushed skin between his teeth until the taller man groaned and fumbled at the waistline of Link’s shorts, his reluctance forgotten. 

Soon both men were naked. They scrambled to the top bunk and Rhett lay on his back. Wasting no time on niceties, Link straddled his friend’s hips and made quick work with the lube, preparing himself and stroking Rhett into full arousal. He was delirious with the heat and the hunger that burned white-hot inside of him. 

He leaned forward and gave the man a quick kiss, then sat up and sank down onto Rhett’s manhood with a grateful moan. There was nothing in the world that could sooth him like this did. The other man’s hands slipped on the sweat of Link’s waist and back, straining for purchase as the brunet’s hips rocked. The smaller man rode him fiercely, swallowing his gasps and moans as he chased a heat that was even hotter than the July sun at noon.


	3. "First Kiss"

From the day they realized they were in love with each other, they played it safe. At first it was because they were so young they weren’t really sure that what they felt was love, nor did they have any sense of how long these feelings would last. They simply knew that they could not bear to be apart, and so they expressed their love with sleepovers and camping trips, bicycle rides and riverbank swims.

By the time they were in high school, their circumspection was more deliberate. They had both dated girls and enjoyed it well enough, but the ultimate result was always the realization that their feelings for each other were as deep and broad as the ocean compared to the narrow streams of these other romantic trysts. However, as their feelings clarified, so did their fear. No one could know, because then they might be torn apart.

So they each kept their hands to themselves and pushed down the natural desire to caress the object of their love, to demonstrate through physical touch the truth that was in their hearts. It was automatic, instinctual – they didn’t even have to tell each other what they feared: that if they opened that door, sooner or later someone would see. 

Then it was their first day of college. Rhett’s parents and Link’s mother had helped them unpack and get settled into their dormroom, fussing about and rearranging things until the two boys had gently pushed them out the door and on their way. And then, finally, they were alone.

Link had turned toward him with a smile to suggest perhaps going out for pizza when suddenly Rhett’s arms were around his waist and the young man was looking down at him with eyes the color of the ocean. “Link…” he whispered.

He brought his arms up around the taller man’s shoulders. “Rhett?”

“Can we finally…?”

He tilted his head up and closed his eyes. “Yes.”


	4. "Chocolate"

The small jar emitted a satisfying pop as Rhett turned the lid for the first time, breaking the seal on the dark chocolate mocha sauce that a fan had sent them. He glanced around their shared office and quickly came to the realization that he had no utensils handy, and, given that all of them were down a flight of stairs and across the building in the kitchen, he shrugged and stuck his index finger into the jar.

The substance was almost black and very thick, more like a soft fudge than a sauce, meant to be heated before poured onto ice cream. He gathered a little on the tip of his finger, brought it to his mouth, and licked it off. He immediately groaned in satisfaction at the sharp bitter sweetness of it, the strident chocolate flavor with the strong undercurrent of coffee that seemed to melt over his tongue. 

He turned to Link with wide eyes. “Dude, this is amazing! You gotta try it!”

The man’s first reaction was dubiousness, as always when Rhett offered him something to eat from the mail, but he smiled when he saw Rhett’s frenetic nod. “That good, huh?” he chuckled.

“It’s sooooooo good.”

“Well, okay, gimme… ew, dude, you used your finger?”

Rhett stuck the same finger back into the jar and savored a larger dollop of the stuff. “Mmhm. No spoons,” he slurred with his mouth full. 

Link regarded him with a wry grin. “I don’t wanna get my hands dirty. Lemme lick it off you.” 

Rhett chuckled. “Whatever you say, man.” He got a small bit of chocolate on his now-wet fingertip and held it out. 

Link grasped his hand and held it steady as he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around Rhett’s finger, flicked his tongue over the pad, and withdrew. “Mm, that is good!”

Rhett felt a tingling heat creep up his face as the sensation of Link’s mouth lingered. “I tol’ you!”

“More,” Link demanded. He opened his mouth wide like a baby bird and closed his eyes in rapt anticipation. 

The larger man laughed. “Okay, brother, you asked for it.” He stuck two fingers in the jar and pulled out a large glob of the stuff, then reached over and pushed it into Link’s mouth. The man’s lips closed over his fingers but not before some of the chocolate smeared its way around them, coating his plump lips. 

“Mmm, mmm…,” Link wriggled in his chair and worked his tongue over Rhett’s fingers, sucking and scraping his teeth to gather the sweetness. He didn’t seem to mind when Rhett’s other hand began to spread more chocolate sauce on his cheeks and chin and neck, painting lines of haphazard warpaint. 

“You like that?” Rhett murmured, leaning close to fill his lungs with the thick scent of the chocolate.

“Is’so good,” The brunet moaned. He whimpered when Rhett withdrew his fingers and stared up at the other man with dazed, dilated eyes. “But now ‘m all dirty.” 

“That’s okay, kitten.” Rhett began to kiss along the lines he’d painted, pressing his tongue into the rough stubble and savoring the heat that pulsed underneath. “I’ll clean you up.”


	5. "Irresistable"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place following [GMM 715](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtJ-hiSH9Go).

Rhett watched in the dressing room mirror as his friend scrubbed the last remnants of blackberry juice and maple syrup off of his face. They’d both hurried to the room after wrapping Good Mythical More; Link eager to clean off his face and Rhett trailing behind him with his arms full of the costuming and wigs that the smaller man had worn. As Link peered over the counter and looked for spots he’d missed, Rhett hung up the costumes and arranged the wigs on their stands. He lingered over the long, tangled white one that Link had worn to portray his “European cousin by marriage.”

“I can’t believe you flirted with me with all those characters, man! They were supposed to be relatives!”

Link’s reflection smirked at him. “Hey, the old guy and the kid were pretty tame.”

Rhett had forgotten about them. “Oh, yeah, they were just freakin’ weird.”

“And you got your revenge by puttin’ food all over me,” the brunet pointed out.

“Well, you deserved it,” Rhett mumbled as he stroked the synthetic white hair. “You know how I get around wigs.”

Link turned to him with a wicked gleam in his eye. “Oh yeah, baby, I know how you get.” He plucked the wig from Rhett’s hands and bent down, deftly fitted it over his hair, and stood up with a flourish. The tousled locks were still settling around his shoulders as he stepped close to where Rhett leaned against the counter. “I know you find them… irresistible.” He said the last word in his unidentifiable European accent as he pressed their groins together, and Rhett groaned as he felt his body immediately respond.

“Gosh, Link… we don’t have time for this, we’ve got work to do…” his protests were weak and they weakened further as his friend’s fingers walked down his torso to the waistband of his jeans.

“Somethin’ tells me this won’t take long,” Link murmured as he popped the button.

Rhett’s arousal had been smoldering ever since he’d seen the wigs Link picked out for the episode, and the man’s flirtation while wearing them had fanned the flames. He abandoned his resistance and instead gripped the countertop as the other man tugged his jeans and underwear down to his knees.

Link made sure to let the long curls caress Rhett’s stomach and thighs as he leaned down to take the man into his mouth, and was rewarded with a long, shuddering groan. Rhett stared down at him, transfixed by the contrast of alabaster against Link’s tanned skin and dark eyebrows, not to mention the beauty of his pink lips close to the dark blond of Rhett’s own hair down there. He glanced in the mirror and saw how the platinum-blond tresses cascaded down between Link’s broad shoulders as the man’s head gently bobbed. 

Link was right; this wasn’t going to take long.


	6. "Not Wearing That"

Ever since they’d gotten them for the vacation sketch, Link had begged Rhett to wear the bear onesie again. “Rhe-ett,” he’d whine, stretching the name into two sing-songy syllables, “Just put it on for meee? You looked so cuuuute.”

At first Rhett good-naturedly demurred — normally he’d do anything for Link, but he just wasn’t in the mood to get back into that silly thing, he said — but as the smaller man kept needling him over the next few weeks, he got annoyed. The last time Link made the request, he’d snapped at him. “I don’t even know where it is and I’m not gonna look for it. Just drop it already!” 

Link had cringed and retreated, vowing to never bring it up again. He didn’t even know why he wanted Rhett in the bear suit again so badly; he just knew that seeing him in it for the sketch hadn’t been enough. It was like Link’s childhood teddy bear come to life at ten times the size. He’d wanted to climb into his arms and cuddle the big guy while he was all wrapped in the soft fleece. But he couldn’t explain it to his friend without sounding like a child for real, so instead he tried to forget it.

Then, some six months later, Link came down with a bad cold. It started as a cough with congestion, but rather than get better after a week like everyone expected, his temperature began to rise and he had bouts of vomiting. A trip to the doctor landed him with an inhaler to help his breathing and an admonition to take it easy while he waited out the virus, so he reluctantly confined himself to his bed. Christy took care of him as best she could while also keeping her distance for the sake of her own and the kids’ health, and he was miserable and bored most of the time.

On his second day of bedrest, there was a gentle knock at the bedroom door. “C’min,” Link croaked. The door creaked open and let in a sliver of light, which expanded to frame the silhouette of a very tall person. No, a very tall… bear. Link blinked blearily and squinted. “Wha?”

“Hey buddy. Thought this might cheer you up.”

Link broke into a huge grin as he took in the sight of Rhett in the fuzzy brown and tan bear costume with the red bow tied at his throat. The hood with the bear face and ears was pulled low over his head. “Oh man,” Link rasped, “you’re adorable!”

He could hear the blush in the big man’s voice. “Well I’m only doin’ it ‘cause you’re sick. Don’t get used to it.”

“Duly noted.”

Rhett clambered onto the bed and arranged himself in the middle, sitting up against the headboard. He opened his arms and Link rolled into them, wrapping his arms around the warm middle of the costume and resting his cheek on the fluffy fake fur on Rhett’s chest. “This good?” Rhett rumbled.

The smaller man took a long breath and let it out in a contented sigh. The tightness in his chest relaxed as Rhett’s fingers stroked his hair. “It’s perfect.”


	7. "Tongue-Tied"

“Uggggh why am I so bad at this?!”

Link flopped back onto his bed and pounded the mattress with his fists as he kicked his legs, feeling like a toddler despite his truly mature age of fourteen. His best friend, Rhett, sat on the carpet with his back to the wall, watching Link’s tantrum with a toothy grin. “Didja make a list like I said?” he asked.

“Yeah. We got through it in about ten seconds and then we just sat there breathing at each other until her mom called her for dinner.” His face burned as he remembered how painfully embarrassing the phone call with his girlfriend had been. “I kept tryna come up with stuff to say but I couldn’t get it, like, past my lips. Like my tongue was in knots.” He stuck out his tongue and grabbed it between thumb and forefinger, crossing his eyes and glaring down at it accusingly.

Rhett giggled. “That’s pretty pathetic. You gotta last longer than that or she’s gonna think you don’t like ‘er.” 

Link let his hands thump back onto the bedspread as he contemplated the ceiling. “I dunno if I really like her,” he mumbled.

He felt the mattress shift as Rhett clambered onto it, and sat up to mirror the other boy’s cross-legged position. Rhett’s lips pressed together with his effort of holding back a smile. “Okay, well… why not practice what you wanted to say to her, so you can do it next time?”

Link quirked his brow. “Tell it to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…” Link shrugged. “Okay. I think you’re pretty.” His cheeks heated up. “I like the patches on your backpack and you’re really good at sports.” 

Rhett gave him an encouraging nod and leaned forward, widening his eyes. Link felt a strange fluttering in his stomach as he continued, “I like your blond hair and green eyes and how you always laugh at my jokes.”

He stared into Rhett’s eyes as he felt himself leaning forward, too. His adrenaline spiked and his heart pounded in his chest. “I like how tall and strong you are and how you’ve always protected me.”

His eyes flicked down to where Rhett licked his lips. “Link…” the boy murmured, then trailed off into silence, his own tongue seemingly trapped behind his teeth. Both of them sat motionless, inches apart, transfixed by the sudden sense of possibility.

Link’s mother’s voice from downstairs broke the spell. “Boys! Dinnertime!” 

Rhett bounded up from the bed in one fluid motion, catching himself on the doorframe and turning around with a grin. “See? Simple. You’ll do better next time!”


	8. "Breaking the Rules"

Link curled into a tight ball inside of his sleeping bag, burying his face in the pillow clutched to his chest to muffle his sobs. His lungs spasmed and he struggled to breathe around the terrifying panic that crushed him. He missed his mom so much; he missed his bedroom and his bathroom and his comfy couch in front of the television. It was only the second night at camp; he wasn’t even halfway done. How was he possibly going to survive?

Something prodded his shoulder and he swallowed a shriek of fright. “Link,” a small voice whispered. “It’s okay, it’s just me. Rhett.”

Link took a shuddering breath and tried to sound normal. “Go ‘way.”

“C’mon, talk to me.”

Link didn’t want to let on how upset he was, but he also didn’t want to get in trouble because Rhett was talking to him after they were supposed to be asleep. He poked his head out of the rumpled sleeping bag and squinted at the tall boy standing by the side of his bunk. “Why’re you crying?” Rhett asked.

“It’s nothing,” the smaller boy insisted.

Rhett looked at him for a moment, then reached out a hand. “Come outside with me.”

“That’s against the rules.”

The blond boy looked around at their sleeping companions. The camp counselor snored softly from his bunk in the corner. “No one’s gonna know. We won’t go far, I promise.”

Link took his friend’s hand and allowed himself to be led outside in his pajamas. Rhett brought him around to the back of the cabin where they could sit on the edge of the porch and see the stars through the trees. Then the older boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a Snickers bar, unwrapped it, and took a bite before passing it over.

“This is against the rules too.” Link took a bite and chewed it thoroughly.

“Yeah, but does it make you feel better?”

“Mmhm.”

Rhett put his arm around Link’s shoulders. “You homesick?” he asked.

Link sniffled. “A little.”

“Well, I’m gonna take care of you.” The boy gave him a gentle squeeze. “I’m gonna make sure you’re so busy doin’ fun stuff that you don’t have time to think about home, and when you go to sleep you’ll be too tuckered out to worry.”

Despite himself, Link felt the corners of his mouth tugging up into a soft smile. The sugar and the warmth of Rhett’s body next to his had cut through the chill of his misery. “Promise?” he whispered.

“Promise.” The other boy leaned over and gave him a quick smooch on the cheek, as if to seal the vow.

“Hey,” Link giggled softly. “That’s against the rules.”

Rhett’s teeth gleamed in the darkness. “Yeah, but did it make you feel better?”

The smaller boy leaned against his friend with a contented sigh. “Yeah, it did.”


	9. "In the Storm"

The first few droplets tickled Link’s forearms with a subtle caress; the rain was almost as warm as the sweltering air. He barely registered them as he followed Rhett over rolling hills, admiring the man’s long strides in his bootcut jeans. He’d begged Rhett to pull over in this nondescript section of Pennsylvania farmland after eight hours of driving on their way from Chicago to Philadelphia in their tiny yellow car, desperate to stretch his legs and see a bit of the countryside at a speed slower than a blur. Now they were about a quarter mile out into this dirt road between two cow pastures and the smell was just enough like home to give him some serious nostalgia.

The wind suddenly gusted and whipped his hair around, bringing with it a spattering of fatter raindrops across his glasses. He peered through them at the ominous clouds gathering on the horizon, and his stomach roiled. Rhett had already turned and was walking back toward him when Link said, “I think we should turn back!”

They walked swiftly back down the road, but every time Link glanced over his shoulder the stormclouds seemed to be nearing. He heard the low rumble of thunder in the distance and felt it in his bones. “We’re not gonna make it,” Rhett muttered, and the sky seemed to growl its agreement. Both men broke into a jog as the surface between their feet turned muddy.

They’d only gone about another hundred yards when the sky opened up completely and rain poured down in sheets, instantly soaking them to the skin. There was a blinding flash followed shortly by a crack of thunder loud enough to be a gunshot. Link cringed and stumbled against the larger man, who caught him by the arm. “We’re not gonna make it!” Rhett shouted over the static of the rain. “We need to find low ground!”

Link nodded, nearly blinded by the rain on his glasses and the hair matted to his face. He let the other man pull him off the road and into the ditch where the water collected in the tall grasses. They both knelt down and leaned their backs against the slope with their heads safely below the level of the road. The wetness was uncomfortable, but at least it wasn’t cold.

Before Link could catch his breath, Rhett’s hand was on his thigh and moving higher. “Link… isn’t this exciting?”

Link pulled off his glasses and squinted to see the other man’s dilated eyes inches from his own. “What… the storm?”

“Yeah,” Rhett grunted. “The raw power of it. Can’t you feel it in your veins? Doesn’t it get you goin’?”

There was another flash and a loud crack, as if a tree were splitting above their heads. Link closed his eyes and flinched, then moaned as he felt Rhett’s mouth on his neck. The man’s hands roamed his soaking-wet clothes, seeking a way to his skin. In return, Link grasped at his hips, pulling him close as their mouths finally found each other.

The storm raged above them, lashing them with wind and water and blinding white light, and they mirrored its passion down on the earth.


	10. "Blood"

Rhett’s heart raced with anticipation and concern as he looked down at his best friend and lover. “Are you sure you wanna do this?” he murmured for the hundredth time.

Link sprawled naked on the bed, already flushed and sweaty from the last thirty minutes of warmup. He looked up at Rhett with dilated eyes full of trust and glassy with arousal. “Mmhmm,” he hummed, leaning up on his elbows and letting his head fall back, intentionally putting his neck and collarbones on display. He knew how much they drove Rhett insane.

The sight of the brunet’s pulse fluttering at his throat made Rhett’s lust burn hot and desperate. They’d talked about this so many times in so many different ways... first was Rhett’s hesitant, shamefaced admission after months of delicate prying on Link’s behalf, then calm conversations wherein Link assured him he was not a freak, until finally Rhett had shared the deepest extent of his fantasies while they got off together. Tonight was the first time Rhett had even considered allowing himself to cross the line from fantasy into reality, though.

The irony of having a blood fetish when one’s lover fainted at the sight of blood was not lost on him.

He’d assumed his desire would always stay locked away, something he tried not to admit even to himself, but Link had insisted otherwise. The man loved Rhett so much that he wanted to satisfy him in every way he could, even if it meant confronting a thing he found viscerally terrifying. Link was the one who had gotten a razor blade and put it on the bedside table prior to them getting into bed together, and now he was the one offering himself up as a sacrifice to Rhett’s most carnal desires. 

“God, I love you,” Rhett whispered. He knelt between Link’s legs as the smaller man fell back onto the pillows, still looking up at him with a dreamy expression.

“I love you too.” Link smiled and closed his eyes, and Rhett leaned down and kissed him deeply before carefully picking up the blade. He waited to make sure his hand was steady before he brought it to the edge of Link’s collarbone, close to the deep notch of his neck. “Ready?” he whispered.

“Yes.” Link tilted his chin up and breathed through parted lips as Rhett held the cold metal against the thin skin over the bone. His pulse raced and his vision narrowed to a single point — the blade — as he pressed it ever so slightly into the skin, then withdrew.

For a moment there was nothing, and then a tiny bead of ruby blood began to emerge from the pale skin. Rhett didn’t take his eyes off it as he set the blade back on the table, then put both hands on Link’s shoulders and held him against the bed as he brought his mouth down. As soon as the coppery taste hit his tongue, a pleasure rushed through his body unlike anything he’d experienced. He groaned and clamped his teeth down, suckling and pulling at the skin, demanding more. Link cried out and writhed beneath him, pliant and yielding, lost in his own world of deep submission.

There was a hurried, desperate fumbling and then Rhett was inside of his lover, thrusting hard, driven right to the electric edge of his pleasure by the iron rushing over his tongue. Hands clutched at the back of his head and pulled him close, telling him to take more, more, as much as he wanted and more. He heard Link gasp his name and felt the man’s body clench around him, and then the world narrowed into nothingness and all he knew was ecstasy.


	11. "Coming Home"

Link flew home with his family to North Carolina for a week on the occasion of his sister-in-law’s new baby. It was a wonderful occasion for their extended family and people would be joining them from all over for a reunion and celebration all in one. Christy was especially thrilled to meet the newest addition; she was close to her sister and it had been hard for her to be on the other side of the country until now.

As always, when he stepped off the plane in Raleigh he felt a subtle pull at his feet as if the ground itself were welcoming him. This sense was strengthened when he emerged from the sliding glass doors of the arrivals exit and inhaled the rich green air of his childhood. The folks he saw waiting at the taxi stand weren’t the tanned and beautiful Angelinos of his everyday but rather the plaid-and-camo authenticity of “his people.” The weight of self-consciousness lifted from his shoulders. He knew how to act here; he knew what people expected of him and he knew that those expectations were comfortably low.

And yet, his uneasiness began as soon as they arrived at Christy’s parents’ house and everyone settled into the catching-up conversations. He found himself uncharacteristically quiet as he sat on the periphery of the room, disengaged from the whirlwind of family excitement. He smiled at the appropriate times and interjected his usual witticisms, but inside he felt… empty.

As the week stretched on and they participated in all sorts of family activities like large meals and trips to amusement parks, the tension only deepened. There was a tightness in his chest and a restlessness in his bones. He felt, for the first time, that something was missing. He was happy to see all of their relatives, of course, and especially pleased that Christy and the kids were able to enjoy the trip, but the undercurrent of discontent grew stronger day by day. He was barely sleeping despite the comfortable guest bed. By the end of the week, even his mother’s fried chicken couldn’t cheer him up.

He flew back west by himself; Christy had decided to extend her visit and keep the kids with her. He wasn’t able to sleep on the five and a half hour flight home because he was plagued by anxious thoughts: What if North Carolina was no longer his home? What if this feeling of pressure, of not belonging, was permanent now?

And then when he’d finally retrieved his suitcase from the carousel and dragged it out to the curb to wait for his best friend to pick him up, he worried: What if Rhett doesn’t understand? What if he thinks I’m being disloyal to our home?

Then the car pulled up in front of him and a tall head of blond hair arose from the driver’s side. Link was already on his feet and moving when Rhett met him at the rear of the car, and before he knew it he’d flung himself into Rhett’s arms and clutched the man tightly around the waist.

“Whoah, buddy!” Rhett hugged him around the shoulders as he chuckled. “Miss me that much?”

Link pulled away just enough to gaze up into the sparkling aquamarine eyes. The tall man’s gentle smile and the faint scent of his skin and the way his palms fit perfectly against Link’s back all combined to wash away Link’s unease like a delicate California rain. “I did,” he admitted.

“How was home?” Rhett asked.

Link pressed his cheek against the man’s chest and closed his eyes. “I am home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference The Mountain Goat’s [Riches and Wonders](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHF80iDFvuI)


	12. "Good Riddance"

Rhett texted Link on Monday morning before the smaller man had left the house to go pick him up:

“Hey just FYI you should prepare yourself for a little surprise!”

Link could practically feel his blood pressure rise. He was not a fan of surprises. Plus, given Rhett’s penchant for understatement, a “little” surprise could turn out to be very big indeed.

“What is it?” he texted back.

“Don’t wanna spoil it,” the man replied.

“Am I gonna like it?”

“I hope so!!” A string of smiley emoticons followed.

Link grumbled under his breath. “Hint please?”

There was a delay, then: “Jessie said it was okay!”

The brunet groaned. He refused to let his friend tease him any longer; Rhett was surely enjoying the suspense. He decided not to respond since he’d be seeing the other man soon enough. He took a few slow breaths in an attempt to calm his anxiety and said goodbye to Christy and the kids. He drove the few miles to Rhett’s house with the radio providing a welcome distraction.

When he pulled into the man’s driveway, everything seemed fine. He waited for a few minutes without seeing any movement from the house, then lightly honked the horn. A few minutes later, the front door opened.

The man who emerged was nearly unrecognizable due to one very important and utterly shocking thing: he was clean-shaven. Aside from modest sideburns, the man’s entire face was as smooth as a billiard ball. Link’s mouth dropped open of its own accord as Rhett smirked his way to the car, and stayed open as the large man clambered inside. By the time Rhett turned to him with a grin and Link could see him up close — his pink upper lip and his mole in the upper corner, both things he’d never thought he’d see again — all the smaller man could manage to emit was a high-pitched noise.

“That good, huh brother?” Rhett playfully punched his arm, savoring Link’s shock as if it were the best thing to happen in years. “Bet you weren’t expecting that this morning!”

“You…” Link gestured.

“Yup!”

“You shaved…”

“I did!” Rhett’s eyes were wide as he gave a frenzied nod.

“Oh my goodness.” Link blinked repeatedly. Suddenly Rhett was ten years younger, and everything that had happened in the intervening years was gone. They were just two best friends in the prime of their youth, eager to explore the world and take everything it had to offer them. “Do you mind if I….” he reached out a trembling hand.

“Go ahead.”

He cupped Rhett’s naked jaw, feeling the faintest texture of stubble underneath the cool, aftershave-slick skin. The sensation sent a tingle of memory and desire up his spine, and he turned fully in the driver’s seat and brought his other hand up to hold both of Rhett’s smooth cheeks. Rhett grinned, closing his eyes at the touch, and stayed still as Link leaned forward to press their lips together. It was like kissing the ghost of a decade ago, but Rhett was warm and real right in front of him.

When he leaned back, Rhett’s gaze was smoldering. “You like it?” he asked.

“I love it.” Link stroked Rhett’s cheek with the back of his fingers, mesmerized by the feeling of it. “You look amazing.” His eyes roamed over the newly bare, pale skin in fascination until something occurred to him and he let out a bark of laughter. “The fans are gonna freak, though!”


	13. "Separation"

When Rhett left the country for three months to go to Slovakia, Link did his best to convince himself he wouldn’t miss the guy. They hadn’t been spending much time together anyway, what with Rhett’s new girlfriend consuming most of his attention, and Link was busy with work and school and a girlfriend of his own. He didn’t even drive his friend to the airport or go over his house the night before to see him off, insisting to himself and Christy that it was no big deal. Besides, he and Rhett had gone a few weeks at time without seeing each other lately; this wasn’t going to feel any different.

Perhaps a little extra separation would be good for both of them. Things had never been quite the same since that one night sophomore year when they’d both had a little too much to drink. Even now he couldn’t drink Pabst without remembering how it tasted different on Rhett’s lips than his own, which meant he never drank it again. And he never wanted to feel the way he felt afterward, the first time he saw Rhett look away rather than meet his eyes as they laughed together.

It was time to grow up; it was time to put that behind them and forge ahead into their separate adult lives. This trip seemed to be Rhett’s way of proclaiming his intention to do just that and Link told himself he was happy about it. And for the first month of the man’s absence, Link felt good. He kept himself occupied by spending time with other friends and with Christy and her folks, who were all very nice. He only thought about Rhett when it was time to go to sleep and there was nothing else to do.

But after the first four weeks or so, he began to notice a vague discomfort at the edges of his mind. He imagined Rhett having fun adventures and making new friends, the golden sunlight of a foreign land illuminating things he’d never known about himself. He was growing and changing into a new person and leaving Link behind, and that made the smaller man ache inside his chest.

In an attempt to ease the pain, he started writing letters to his best friend. He never sent them — the mail was slow enough he wasn’t sure they’d even arrive before Rhett departed the country — he just kept them folded neatly in their envelopes on the desk in his bedroom. At first he simply told the man about his day and rambled on about this idea or that, but as the weeks wore on, he began to explore the complicated nature of his feelings about their friendship, until finally it was the day before Rhett was due to return home.

“I know we don’t talk about that night,” he wrote, “and I always figured it was ‘cause you wanted to forget it. But here’s the thing, Rhett — I don’t want to forget it. The only reason I would regret it is if it meant you and I couldn’t be friends anymore. Otherwise, I’m happy it happened. And if I’m being real honest here, I wish we could have more. But I’ll always be your best friend, so long as you’ll have me.”

He thought about burning the letter, but instead he sealed it with shaking hands and shoved it into the bottom of the stack. The next evening he drove to Rhett’s house and knocked on the door, and when the young man answered, Link gave him a big hug and handed him the stack of letters secured with a thick rubber band. “These are for you,” he explained. “You can read ‘em and gimme a call later, if you want.” He turned to go.

Rhett caught his arm and gently pulled him back. “Nah, I missed you, man. C’mon in and hang out? We’ll read ‘em together.”

Link smiled. “All right.”


	14. "Waiting"

Rhett tugged at his collar where the ivory silk of his ascot bunched at his throat. He ran his hand around to the back and caught the drip of sweat that had begun at his hairline, preventing it from running down and staining his alabaster tuxedo jacket. He passed his hand over his freshly shaven face and wished he had a beard to stroke to vent his nervousness. Why did he ever think it was a good idea to shave off all his facial hair and cut his hair so short today? Because he wanted to feel like a new man, he reminded himself. He wanted to acknowledge that today was the start of a whole new life.

A life that would not start if his husband-to-be didn’t show up at the altar…

The tall man sighed and contemplated the rose window high above him, eyes tracing the delicate lines and admiring the intricate stained glass. When he and Link had first tried this Episcopal church, after they’d realized their current place of worship would never fully accept them, the gorgeous rose window was the first thing Rhett had fallen in love with. The fact that St. Jude’s congregation clearly believed in the progressive policies outlined by its leadership was the second. After five years of worship with these people, they’d become a second family. There was nowhere else the two men wanted to say their vows.

Rhett turned and gave a nervous smile to his father, who stood directly behind him in the traditional Southern position of Best Man. James McLaughlin raised a brow as if to say, “Well, where is he?” and Rhett gave a small, helpless shrug in return. He and Link had promised not to see each other until the ceremony in case of bad luck; he had no idea what the man’s plans had been for the day. He looked out at the pews filled with hundreds of friends and family, famous YouTubers and people they’d known since childhood, all starting to fidget with impatience. Gregg gave him a thumbs-up from the front row.

Rhett pulled out his phone and checked for messages… nothing. What if he’d changed his mind? It had certainly taken them long enough to come around to this step, despite a love as strong and deep as any storybook romance. They were both too practical, too cautious. A public declaration and a legal binding had never seemed that important, especially to Link. Rhett’s proposal had felt more like a business negotiation than a romantic gesture, but he finally convinced Link it was the best thing to do. Maybe the man had freaked out, cut and run. Maybe Rhett pushing for marriage made him realize he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life with Rhett after all. Maybe Rhett was never going to see his soulmate again…

The double doors at the far end of the hall burst open and Link tumbled through them wearing a matching cream-colored tuxedo. As the man sprinted up the aisle, his unbuttoned jacket flapping behind him, Rhett took in the details of tousled hair and patches of mud on the man’s knees. Link skidded to a halt right in front of Rhett and stared up at him with his ascot askew and a dark brown smudge of grease across his cheek, his eyes wild, before turning to face the crowd. “I’m sorry!” he called out. “I had a flat tire! And I left my phone at home!”

The audience chuckled as the brunet turned and took Rhett’s hands. “Am I too late?”

Rhett reached out and smoothed the man’s hair from his forehead, then buttoned his jacket and straightened his tie. He leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on his beloved’s lips. “No,” he replied. “You’re perfect.”


	15. "Puppy Love"

“All right, Rhett, quit stalling. This one’s for the win: True or false, only male dogs hump people’s legs.” Link could barely get the word outs without giggling. He’d originally tried to come up with a euphemism, but there was really nothing else to call it, and he knew the fans would find it funny as it was.

Rhett stared at his friend, trying to read the answer on his face as he puzzled through his logic. “Well… I just don’t see why the girl dogs would… June never does that! C’mon now. It’s gotta be just boy dogs.”

Link kept his expression carefully neutral. “Final answer?”

Rhett cringed behind his hands. “Final answer. True.”

The smaller man cackled. “It’s false, man! You fail!”

“Gaaaah!” the blond roared. “I don’t believe that! Are you sure?”

“Says so right here, brother! Girl dogs like to have fun too!” Link gloated, then reached to the floor beside him and pulled out Rhett’s punishment: A headband with furry brown ears and wide brown leather collar with leash attached. The man mournfully donned the ears as Link explained he’d be doing Rhett’s puppy makeup in Good Mythical More. He promised they’d be sharing photos and videos of the man in costume throughout the day.

Before long they were done filming and both men were back in their office. Rhett was wearing the collar and fidgeting with the leash in his hands while he worked, the headband with the ears still nestled in his tall hair. Link was proud of the triangular black nose and white muzzle he’d drawn on the man’s face, even if some of it got lost in his beard. Despite the pouting, the dude looked remarkably cute.

Every now and then Jen interrupted them to get Rhett to pose for a photo or record a short video. He played fetch with Link, crawling across the office floor in pursuit of a ball and carrying it back to the man in his mouth. He roughhoused with the real dogs, June and Enzo, rolling around on the floor and barking at them. He curled up in a ball on the studio couch with his chin on his hands and pretended to sleep. Chase took him for a “walk,” holding the leash while Rhett got on all fours and pretended to relieve himself on the fire hydrant outside their office.

Finally the employees had gone home for the day and it was just the two men in the office. Link looked over to see Rhett absently stroking the thick leather at his throat. “You can take that stuff off now, you know,” he pointed out.

Rhett looked over with a flush on his cheeks. “I was thinkin’ I’d leave it on for a while longer.”

“Oh?”

The man slid off the chair onto his knees and crawled over to Link with the end of the leash in his mouth. He looked up demurely, eyes wide and innocent as his eyebrows drew together in supplication. Link took the offered leash with a chuckle. “Not done bein’ a puppy yet, huh babe?”

Rhett yipped and rose up on his knees, placing his “front paws” on Link’s shoulders. Before the smaller man could react, Rhett’s tongue had slurped him from chin to forehead. Then he leaned back, panting and grinning, as Links sputtered. “Eww, you got my glasses! Bad dog!”

Rhett barked again, then rubbed his groin roughly against Link’s knee. Link shoved his chair back and leapt to his feet, jerking the end of the leash so the man’s head snapped back. “You know what happens to bad dogs,” he growled, stifling a smile. “They have to be taught their place.” He saw the delighted gleam in Rhett’s eye before the man hung his head and whimpered, and his desire flared hot. Apparently the punishment wasn’t over yet after all.


	16. "Hope"

When Link received the notice that he was being drafted in the summer of 1969, Rhett went with him to the local Army recruitment office where they were doing the preliminary medical examinations. Despite his best friend’s protests, he was determined to volunteer in order to go fight beside him. No way was he going to let Link go it alone.

The young private behind the desk took one look at Rhett and shook his head. “How tall’re you?” “Six seven, Sir.” And that was it. They didn’t even have to see his crooked spine or they would’ve rejected him a second time.

So he sat on the bench outside and waited, crossing his fingers that the doctors would find some previously unknown defect in his friend who had always been as healthy as an ox. But it wasn’t long before Link emerged with a stack of papers in his hand and his face two shades paler than when he went in. “I report for basic training in two weeks,” he said.

Rhett hoped that they would be able to find a way to get him out of it, but Link was a patriot. “Someone’s gotta go,” he said with a shrug. “It might as well be me.”

After Link had departed for Fort Polk, Louisiana, Rhett hoped that the war would end before the man finished his training. Despite all the news stories about the President sending more and more troops, he hoped Link would somehow not be one of them. And even after he got Link’s letter saying he was shipping out in the morning, he hoped his friend would not end up on the front lines.

He didn’t realize that everywhere in Vietnam was the front line.

He wrote Link multiple times a week but was never sure how many of his letters made it through. He treasured the few brief replies he received, even though his friend couldn’t tell him much aside from how hot and wet and miserable it was, and how much he missed his mother’s cooking. In the coded words of their youth, he told Rhett how much he missed him, too.

When they heard that Link was missing in action, shot down over the Nui Dinh mountains, Rhett’s hope took the form of prayer. He begged God to spare the man he loved, to keep him safe and whole and bring him home.

For three years, there was no word on the status of Corporal Neal. Rhett’s family tried to get him to accept the worst, but he refused to believe it. His hope was all that sustained him.

He was alone at home when the doorbell rang. Thinking it was the postman, or perhaps a traveling salesman, Rhett took his time getting to the door. When he opened it, he had to clutch the frame to keep his legs from buckling underneath him.

Link stood on his porch dressed in the Army’s olive drab uniform, holding his hat in his hands. If Rhett hadn’t known the man so well, he wouldn’t have recognized him; the man looked as though he’d lost thirty pounds from his already slight frame. The bones in his face protruded from the sallow skin and a thick scar puckered the skin of his right cheek. His eyes, still the brightest blue of the North Carolina sky, glimmered with wetness as they looked up at the taller man.

“Hi, Rhett.” His voice sounded the same.

Rhett reached out in disbelief. “Link, is it really you?” 

The smaller man stepped forward into Rhett’s embrace, tilting his face up with a tremulous smile. “I wasn’t sure you’d still be here.”

Rhett kissed him gently, delicately, as if his emotions would shatter them both if he weren’t careful. When he pulled back, tears streamed unheeded down his cheeks. “I knew you’d come back to me.”


	17. "Grinding"

They stood on the balcony in the wings of the Vidcon mainstage, looking down at the heads of Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers as the band gave their headline performance to a packed arena of screaming fans. From their vantage point high above the crowd, the sound was somewhat distorted but still quite loud, and the bass made Link’s ribcage rattle.

He and Rhett were alone in this small space set aside for celebrities who risked harassment if they braved the main floor. Part of Link wished it didn’t have to be that way; it would be fun to mingle in the crush of bodies and feel the youthful exuberance up close. But after fighting their way through hundreds of autograph- and hug-demanding fans every time they tried to go anywhere that day, he realized it was for the best that they were up here.

Plus, it meant they didn’t have to be nearly so careful about how they acted toward each other. They weren’t invisible; people on the stage and in the first few rows could look up and see them if they wanted, but the two men felt safe enough that Rhett was standing close behind him with his arms around Link’s waist. The blond would occasionally nuzzle into the brunet’s hair or duck down and nip his ear, eliciting giggles and squirms as they enjoyed the music together. It helped that they’d had a few drinks in the VIP lounge before coming up here; nothing excessive of course, just enough to take the edge off a stressful day.

The band segued into a song with a more driving beat and Link felt compelled to dance. He stepped forward slightly and rocked his hips along with the drums. He raised his arms and moved his body rhythmically from side to side, then glanced over his shoulder to see Rhett openly admiring his moves.

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at the man before turning back around and continuing to dance with his back arched, making sure to give his friend and lover a good show.

It wasn’t long before he felt Rhett step up close behind him and clasp Link’s hipbones in his hands. He kept dancing as Rhett matched his movements, pushing up against the smaller man’s backside. Link felt Rhett’s hot breath and let his head fall to the side, letting out a soft moan when teeth scraped down his neck. He reached up and ran his fingers through the short hair on the back of the taller man’s head, pulling him closer, and Rhett nibbled and kissed his ear.

Link pressed himself harder back into Rhett’s body, his dance moves simplifying to the point of grinding his ass on the man’s groin. He grinned, open-mouthed and panting with exertion as felt the clear evidence of his friend’s arousal.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Rhett shouted in his ear. “You drive me crazy!”

Link turned and gave him a cheeky wink. “I know!” Before he could turn back, Rhett kissed him fiercely and plunged his tongue into the smaller man’s mouth. The heat of desire radiating off the larger man was nearly overwhelming. When they broke and Link faced forward again, Rhett continued to lavish attention on his neck, careful not to leave any marks. The man’s hands tightened at his waist as he rutted shamelessly against Link’s ass. Link was a little shocked that Rhett would be so brazen, but he enjoyed the intensity of the attention… until it abruptly ceased. Rhett released him and stepped back just as the song was ending.

Link wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. He pulled out his phone and checked the time, then showed it to his friend. “We’re late for that industry afterparty!”

Rhett’s face was flushed and he was breathing hard. “I’ll meet you there,” he yelled, then ducked his head with a sheepish grin. “Gotta go change my pants first…”


	18. "Secret Admirer"

It was a slow day at IBM, so when Link received the email with the subject “YOUR SECRET ADMIRER BETA: TRY IT FREE NOW!” he didn’t delete it outright like he normally would have. Instead he clicked on it and read the copy.

“A friend of yours, Rhett McLaughlin, has sent you an invitation to try this exciting new web service! Click here for a free tour!”

Link smiled. He hadn’t heard from Rhett in a few weeks, what with both of them busy with family and work stuff. He clicked on the link and it opened a brightly colored web page describing the product in question. The site combined user-submitted personal information and photos with data publicly available on the web to build a profile of the customer. Then, each day it would email the user a brief compliment or affirmation.

Link raised a brow as he read through the details. It didn’t seem like something Rhett would be into, but the man must’ve thought it was right up Link’s alley. The younger man had complained that he was feeling isolated and unsure of himself lately after some misunderstandings with coworkers and a few arguments with Christy. The premise of the site seemed a bit cheesy, maybe even a little sad, but it wouldn’t hurt to try it out and see what happened. A cheerful, personalized message each morning might be just the thing he needed.

He filled out the registration form and uploaded a few recent photos, then clicked Submit. The site thanked him and said he should expect his first message the following morning.

 

***

 

He’d already forgotten all about it after a stressful evening at home, but when he got in the next day there was a message in his inbox from “Your Secret Admirer” with the subject “You’re amazing!” He shook his head in amusement as he read the brief message:

“Link, you’re such a cool guy! You must be really smart to have a job at IBM. And I have to say that you have really beautiful eyes.”

He chuckled. It was incredibly cheesy, but he had to admit there was a part of him that felt better having read it. Even though he knew it was just a computer somewhere, he couldn’t resist writing back a quick, “Thanks, babe!”

Every morning for the next few weeks, he got another message with new compliments on both his intellect and his appearance. His secret admirer loved his creativity, his drive to be successful, and his devotion to his family. The program also praised his broad shoulders, his chiseled jawline, his stylish hair, and his — Link blushed at this one — shapely backside. Over time, his secret admirer got more creative with its compliments, seeming to guess at things Link hadn’t told it, like his dancing skill, his quirky sense of humor, and his singing ability. He was very impressed with the program’s sophistication.

He had to admit that, cheesy though it may be, it made him feel great about himself. He was more confident at work and found himself being less defensive with Christy, which enabled them to talk more calmly about their conflicts. The personalized compliments reminded him of the things he liked about himself. On one of his lunch breaks, he decided to call Rhett and thank him.

His best friend sounded delighted. “I never tried it myself, man, but a friend of Jessie’s mentioned it and it seemed like somethin’ you’d like.”

“I’m kind of embarrassed to admit how much I like it,” Link confessed. “Some of the compliments are starting to seem a little… flirty.”

“Well, it’s s’posed to be a secret admirer, right?” He could hear Rhett smiling. “That can happen on occasion.”

“I guess…” Link twisted the phone cord around his fingers. “But it’s okay since it’s just a computer program, right?”

“Right. If it makes you happy, no harm no foul.”

Link grinned. “Awesome. Well, thanks again, dude. Maybe we can get together for beers sometime soon and you can meet the new, more confident me.”

Rhett’s rich chuckle came over the line. “I can’t wait!”

 

***

 

Rhett hung up the phone and turned back to his computer. He signed into the web hosting service and navigated to the administrator’s area for www. yoursecretadmirer. com, the website he’d built a month ago. He browsed the files Link had uploaded and grinned as he thought of all the compliments he might want to send the guy the next morning.

The possibilities were endless.


	19. "Bite"

It was miserably hot outside and the dorm’s RA had come up with a creative way to help everyone cool down. Even though bobbing for apples was normally an autumn activity, the idea of encouraging people to dunk themselves in buckets of cold water seemed perfect. He set up big metal tubs filled with water and apples in the quad and told the residents it would be a contest for teams of two. The winning team would get two large pizzas.

Rhett loved competition and he loved pizza, so he was in. He had to cajole Link a bit, but free pizza appealed to the young man’s frugal side and he soon agreed. The two of them found an unclaimed tub and stood beside it while the RA explained the rules. One person had to remove an apple from the tub using only their mouths, then straighten up and pass the apple to the other person, who had to take it with their teeth and drop it into a bucket to be counted. For the next apple, the two roles were reversed, and so on until the five minute timer was up.

“This is gonna be a piece of cake,” Link declared as he stripped off his shirt and set it aside. Rhett followed suit more slowly, trying not to stare at his tanned and muscular friend. The brunet’s visits to the gym over the summer had honed his body to a slim hardness that made Rhett weak in the knees. It didn’t help that Link was currently sporting a hairstyle that stood up and back from his forehead, giving him a bit of a punk vibe. A sexy punk vibe.

“Yeah, with those teeth of yours, you’re a natural,” Rhett told him. Link grinned and snapped at the air, baring his large, pearly incisors. “It might be hard for me to keep up,” the taller man pointed out, but Link just shrugged.

“Your appetite’ll make up for it!” he laughed.

They knelt on opposite sides of the tub and braced their hands on the sides. The whistle blew and Link dove in first, plunging his entire head underwater. Rhett barely had time to admire the man’s broad shoulders before Link was back up and dripping, a shiny red apple clenched in his teeth. They both leaned over the tub and Rhett opened wide to receive the fruit, which Link shoved roughly against his teeth. He bit onto it and Link let go, and Rhett turned and dropped it into his scoring bucket.

The water was shockingly cold when Rhett dunked his head in, and for a second he hesitated. Then he heard Link shouting at him from above — “C’mon, McLaughlin!” and that was enough to get him going. He isolated an apple from the bunch and pushed it against the side of the tub until he could get his teeth into it, then brought it up. He felt Link’s mouth on the other side of the fruit before he even opened his eyes, and the man swiftly chomped onto it and dropped it into his bucket.

They continued like a well-oiled machine until the RA began to shout a countdown of the last ten seconds. Rhett went under to try to get one more apple and felt Link slapping his shoulder in encouragement. He finally got a tenuous hold on one of the fruits, but as he straightened up to transfer it to the other man, it slipped from between his teeth. In his eagerness, Link’s forward momentum carried him into Rhett’s face regardless, and their mouths crashed together over the churning water.

Both sets of arms flailed for balance. Suddenly they were clasping each other’s shoulders with the metal edge of the tub pressed into their stomachs, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Sorry!” Link gasped as the whistle blew.

“I’m not,” Rhett grunted, and leaned forward again. Miraculously, Link followed his lead and then they were kissing for real. The smaller man’s lips were cold from the water but his tongue was hot as it slipped into Rhett’s mouth.

Eventually Rhett pulled back, trying to catch his breath. “What do you say we continue this in our room?” he growled.

Link nodded eagerly. “Yes!”

Rhett grabbed the man’s hand as they stood up together and practically dragged Link toward the entrance. Just before the door closed, Rhett shouted back at the RA, “We’ll be back for the pizza!”


	20. "Broken Wings"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here is an optional visual aid.](https://instagram.com/p/j-a6-4nhhd/)

Jason gathered up the last of the equipment and slung the camera bag over his shoulder. “I’ll go put this stuff in the car,” he told them, then disappeared down the stairs.

“We’ll be down in a few minutes,” Rhett called after him. He moved to where Link leaned against the chain link fence along the edge of the roof and looked out over Burbank. They’d come up here to shoot a very brief scene for the silly Hawkman trailer and so far Rhett was quite pleased with how it had gone. He knew he looked incredibly goofy in his cardboard wing harness and helmet, but he was confident it was goofy in a way the fans would enjoy.

Link took off his sunglasses and hung them on the fence as he smiled up at his friend. The brunet’s role in the trailer had only been a brief closeup of his face, so the only “costume” he’d had to do was some thick, black eyeliner and an Egyptian headdress. Now he was clad in jeans and a hoodie, but he still had the eyeliner on. It surrounded his eyes in dramatic angles and made them seem both deeper and bluer than normal.

Rhett took off his mask and set it on the ground, then stepped in front of the man and leaned in close. He pressed Link against the fence with his body. “You look good,” he growled.

“You look better.” Link’s hands roamed Rhett’s chest, slipping under the cardboard harness to caress the rough skin. Both men had been waxed a few weeks prior and the hair was only just starting to grow back. As Rhett leaned down to join their lips together, Link’s hands slid down into Rhett’s green sweatpants and cupped his bare ass. The taller man hadn’t bothered with underwear.

The brunet broke off the kiss and dragged his teeth down Rhett’s jaw to his throat. “Unfortunately for you,” he murmured, “I know Hawkman’s weakness.”

Rhett groaned as a chill ran up his spine, then gasped when one of Link’s hands circled around to the front of his pants. He was utterly pliant in Link’s grasp as the man spun them both around and pushed him up against the fence. He heard the cardboard wings crunch behind him and was about to protest — they still had to film GMM — but decided he had much more important things to think about as the man in front of him got to his knees.

Link tugged down the green sweatpants until they were puddled around Rhett’s tall red boots. The blond stretched his arms out on the top of the fence and held on for dear life as the other man put his talented mouth to use. It wasn’t long before Rhett was moaning shamelessly, hips twitching as he whispered Link’s name over and over. The shorter man seemed determined to make quick work of the endeavor and Rhett was helpless to resist; he soon tipped over the edge with a strangled cry that trailed into gasps as Link purred in triumph.

Link pulled his friend’s pants back up as he rose to his feet, and the two men embraced and kissed deeply. Link’s eyeliner was smudged and Rhett fixed it with his thumb as best he could as he grinned down in dreamy satisfaction. “You broke my wings,” he pointed out.

Link surveyed the damage. “Eh, we can tape ‘em back together.” He winked up at his friend. “It was worth it.”

“Heck yeah, it was.”


	21. "Weight of the World"

Link tiptoed through the door to the hospital room and closed it softly behind him, then went over to the chair by the window where his husband sprawled, his long legs stretched out as he dozed. Link set the styrofoam cup of cafeteria coffee on the bedside table and sat down on the edge of the empty bed, smiling softly at the vision in front of him.

Rhett was wearing plaid pajama pants and no shirt. In the center of his bare chest, supported by his arms, nestled a small bundle of yellow and green fleece. A tiny form slumbered inside of it, its pink face wrinkled underneath a wisp of blond hair. She was the most beautiful thing Link had ever seen, and also the most terrifying.

The idea of the entire world of responsibility and potential that was contained in that fragile four-pound body made him feel weak in the knees, despite the fact that they’d had four months to get used to the idea. Ever since they’d found a woman through their church who was looking for a couple to adopt the child she was expecting, they’d been getting ready for this moment. Their nursery was painted, their home was childproofed, they’d both taken the infant first aid class. Their crew had thrown them a baby shower and their friends and family had given them everything they could possibly need.

So why did he still feel entirely unprepared?

Rhett stirred and opened his eyes, smiling groggily over at the other man. “Hey.”

“How’s she doing?” Link whispered.

“She’s perfect. Been sleeping since you left. Wanna hold her?”

“Yeah.” Link carefully picked up the small bundle and leaned back on the bed’s pillows, reclining and holding the baby against his chest. Her eyes opened briefly to regard him with the purest blue before she settled back in to sleep, and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Rhett stood and stretched, popping his back in a number of places. “The nurse said we should be able to take her home tomorrow.” He came over to the side of the bed and put his hand on Link’s shoulder as he stared down at their new daughter.

Link swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Feels like I’m holdin’ the whole world in my arms. You sure we’re ready for this, Rhett?”

“I don’t think we’ll ever be ready,” the other man admitted. “But we’ve got each other, and she’s got us now. We’re gonna be great dads.”

“I hope so.”

Rhett gave his husband’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure of it.”


	22. "Tongue-Tied" (Link & Rhettina)

Link had been pushing himself hard at the gym on campus for the past few weeks, and one Saturday morning he awoke with a back so stiff that he could barely make it down from the top bunk without crying.

“Why not try that new massage place down the road?” Rhett suggested, after mocking his pain like a good friend should. “I hear they got student discounts.”

Figuring it would be cheaper than a doctor’s visit, Link decided to give it a try. He called and made an appointment for that afternoon with a massage therapist named Rhettina, whom he was assured was very skilled with the kind of soreness he described. When he arrived, the receptionist ushered him into a small room decorated in lavender and sage green. The massage table in the center was draped with a fluffy white towel. “Disrobe and get comfortable,” she told him. “Rhettina will be right in.”

He was a little nervous, but his back hurt enough to distract him from the awkwardness. He stripped down to his underwear and climbed onto the table, lying face down with his face pressed into the weird donut pillow. He reached back and arranged the towel over his backside and tried to relax.

It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door and it opened to admit a pleasant female voice with a subtle southern accent. “Hello there. Link, is it?”

“Yes ma’am.” He sat up slightly and turned to take in a truly impressive sight. The tallest woman he’d ever seen stood smiling at him in a fluttery floral dress that skimmed her mid-thighs, leaving the rest of her long legs bare down to a pair of golden strappy sandals. Her platinum blonde hair was in a messy ponytail on top of her head and she had a full, neatly trimmed light brown beard surrounding her pert, pink lips. Her statuesque physique was emphasized by her confident posture and tremendous chest.

He found himself struck speechless. When she said, “I hear you’ve been having some back pain,” all he could do was affirm “Mmhmm” as a blush crept up his cheeks.

“Well lie down, sugar, and we’ll see what I can do about that.”

Link shoved his burning face back into the pillow. There was a brief pause, then warm hands pressed into his lower back. They were gentle at first, but as it became clear that the man on the table had no acute injury, Rhettina began to knead more firmly. Her fingers were coated with a eucalyptus oil that smelled divine, and soon Link found himself floating on a cloud of bliss.

He couldn’t help but let out soft noises of pleasure as the young woman pushed and rubbed with her very strong grip. She traveled up his back and neck, down his arms, even his hands (which felt so small in hers). Then she moved to his legs, going from feet to calves to thighs. Her warm, slippery hands crept higher until they were pressing into the crease just below his buttocks, and he stifled a moan as a tingling heat crept through his groin.

“You okay there, darlin’?” Rhettina asked.

“Yes! Yes, I—um—I, ah…” Link stuttered, unable to form a coherent thought as her thumbs worked their way between his legs.

He felt warm breath on his neck as Rhettina leaned over him, breasts brushing his back. “Something wrong with your tongue?” she purred. “Why don’t you roll over and let me work on it?”

“Wh—what?”

Rolling over seemed like a very embarrassing prospect, but before he could come up with an excuse, the woman had grasped his hips and forcibly flipped him face-up with the ease of a child with a doll. She ignored his scrambling to pull the towel over the obvious bulge in his underwear as she turned to the sink in the corner and washed her hands. She returned to the table and cupped his chin in her two giant hands, tilting it up as he stared into her alluring green eyes.

She traced the tip of one thumb across his lips and they parted involuntarily. He felt a rush of desire as she pushed the digit into his mouth and swept it over the surface of his tongue, leaving a faint trace of mint in its wake. Their eyes stayed locked as he closed his lips around the base of her thumb and danced his tongue over its pad.

“Mm,” she murmured as she slowly withdrew it. “Seems to be in fine working order to me.”

“I — I hope so.”

He licked his lips and let out a helpless whimper as she drizzled oil onto his chest and went to work on its muscles. She seemed to enjoy his squirming as he writhed on the edge of ticklishness. Soon her eyes flicked downward and her lips quirked in amusement. “Seems like you have other things in fine working order too.” He opened his mouth to apologize, but she shushed him with a finger across his lips. “I like a man who can appreciate a good massage. Maybe you’d like to grab a drink after my shift?”

He was tongue-tied again as shyness warred with desire for this intriguing, confident woman. He settled for nodding and stammering out, “I’d — yes, I’d — that’d be great!”

She let out a low, sensual chuckle as her hands roamed over his torso, spreading heat and goosebumps wherever they passed. “You’re adorable.”


	23. "Under the Influence" (Redd & Lohn)

“I still say we’re gonna need more than electrified toilets and pony rides for your side of the park,” Redd pointed out as they rode the hotel elevator up to their floor.

“Maybe mine should have the fried stuff, too…” Lohn led the way to the room. “Once the guests get sick of eatin’ varmints they can come to my place and have real food.”

The shorter man unlocked the door and passed through, Redd following behind him. Once inside, both men stopped in their tracks and the blond let out a whistle. “Is that Whistlepig?”

On the desk in front of the two queen beds was a large bottle of Redd’s favorite rye whiskey. He barely recognized it on account of rarely being able to afford it, but here it was gleaming in the yellow lamplight next to two glass tumblers. Lohn picked up the note beside it and read aloud: “To Lohn and Redd, thanks for doing our show on such short notice. Hope you had fun! Sincerely, Rhett and Link.”

“Awful nice o’ them fellers, puttin’ us up for the night and givin’ us such a fine beverage.” Rhett picked up the bottle, making short work of the foil cover and twisting off the corked top.

“Yep!” Lohn put his cowboy hat on the desk and hung his floral blazer on the back of the chair, leaving him in a dark blue silk shirt unbuttoned nearly to the waist. “Them boys know what’s what.” He accepted the glass Redd offered him and raised it in a toast. “To Rabbit Lightning Land.”

“Rabbit Lightning Land,” Redd echoed, then knocked back half the glass in one go. The whiskey burned pleasantly in his throat and made his thigh muscles tingle. It tasted rich and decadent, like he was living someone else’s comfortable life for once.

He brought the bottle with him and set it on the bedside table along with his sunglasses. He took off his fringed leather vest and tossed it into the corner before flopping, shirtless, onto one of the beds. He expected Lohn to take the other, but instead the smaller man sprawled next to him with his hands behind his head. He raised his legs and rested his cowboy boots across Redd’s knees. “That was fun,” he declared. “We should do it again.”

They drank and talked (and drank some more) over the next few hours. Redd watched the level of liquid in the bottle drop with a sleepy satisfaction. Drinking with Lohn was always the best time, even though the guy tended to get a little… weird. Okay, maybe Lohn’s weirdness was part of why Redd enjoyed it so much. He was just coming around to this realization when he felt the man’s hand on his thigh.

He turned to see Lohn lying on his side, grinning at him. There was a challenge in the brunet’s eyes, and Redd felt his blood heat in response. “What’re you up to, Sparks?” he slurred.

“What did that wheel say, again?” Lohn struggled to focus. “What animal were you s’posed to be?”

“A werewoof.” Redd could never pronounce it quite right.

“A whut?”

“A werewoof. Grrr, ruff, ruff!” Redd snapped at the air between them.

“Wolf,” Lohn corrected, emphasizing the L. “Were _wolf_.” He moved his hand from Redd’s thigh to the man’s face, cupping his chin and squeezing his cheeks between his fingers and thumb. “Here, I’ll show ya.”

He pulled at Redd’s jaw and pinched the man’s lips together as the larger man stifled a grin. “Were… _wolf_!” Lohn commanded.

“Werrmmf.”

“No, no, no.” Lohn pushed Redd over onto his back and clambered on top of him, straddling his hips. He swayed a bit before he got his balance back, then manipulated the bearded man’s cheeks with both hands. “Were _woooolf_ ,” he demonstrated.

Redd let out a playful howl and tossed his head from side to side to nip at Lohn’s fingers, then stopped as the alcohol made his brain feel like it was sloshing around in his skull. He closed his eyes to get his bearings and suddenly Lohn’s lips were meeting his in a sloppy, whiskey-soaked kiss. Redd hummed in the back of his throat and didn’t spare any time on second thoughts before he reached up to sink his hands into the man’s long dark hair, pulling him closer.

As their tongues began a clumsy introduction, he ran his hands down the smaller man’s spine and cupped his backside roughly. Lohn grunted and rocked his hips, rubbing their bodies together, and Redd felt an urgent flare of desire. Eventually the other man sat up and unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way, exposing a lush patch of chest hair. His hooded eyes were sly as he grinned down at Redd. “If I ride you, I get to take you home.”

Redd helped his friend remove his shirt and tossed it aside before pulling Lohn back down to him. He pressed his face into the man’s neck and took a deep breath of his smoky, cologne-laced musk. It was more intoxicating than any whiskey could be. He brought his mouth to the man’s ear and growled, “Deal.”


	24. "At the Edge"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here's an optional video reference.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7gOSqpKkag)

“That looks like a good spot.” Rhett pointed to a small parking area that seemed to be uninhabited. Link carefully pulled the moving van over and parked it, then the two men emerged from it with extensive groaning and stretching of sore limbs. They were both eager for a break from the close confines of the vehicle.

After admiring the view from south rim of the Grand Canyon for a few minutes in silence, Rhett took out his phone to film a vlog. Despite the big man’s fear of heights, he approached the edge a little too close for Link’s liking while he was looking through the lens, and the smaller man sputtered a warning. “Whoa, Rhett! Whoa whoa whoa!”

The blond grinned as he panned over the vast expanse before them. “I’m a man, Link,” he reminded his friend. “Men get to the edge of the Grand Canyon and don’t look back.”

Link rolled his eyes and stepped forward to join Rhett in front of the camera to speak briefly about the natural wonder they’d stopped at. He took off his glasses and crawled out onto a ledge to pose for Project Lionel, then sat next to Rhett as the man explained how their next meetup would work.

They stopped recording but Link wasn’t ready to get back into the van just yet. Tomorrow they’d be in L.A., officially moved across the country for their big television show adventure, and it was finally starting to feel real to him. In some ways, what they were doing felt like more of a plunge than if he were to dive off the cliff right in front of him. Despite the exhaustion of days on the road, part of him wished this trip would never end.

He wrapped his arms around his knees and contemplated the striated reds and browns of the opposite canyon wall, ten miles distant. A cold breeze blew across the patches of snow on the ground and he shivered. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Rhett sit down next to him until the man shifted closer and put an arm around the brunet’s shoulders.

He leaned into Rhett’s warm embrace as the man pressed a kiss into the crown of his head. “We’re almost there,” Rhett said softly. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

Link reached up and interlocked his fingers with Rhett’s hand at his shoulder as he still stared out at the vast expanse. “What if it changes everything?” He murmured. “What if it changes… us?”

Rhett’s other hand gently grasped his chin and turned his head. The larger man’s eyes swirled with a combination of the blue of his t-shirt and the white clouds above them, giving them a pale, delicate beauty as their corners crinkled into a smile. “Nothing’s gonna change us, not in the ways that really matter.” He leaned forward and gave the man a tender kiss. “I love you.”

Link nuzzled his nose. “I love you too.”

Rhett clambered to his feet and reached down to give Link a hand up. “C’mon, brother. Fame and fortune await.”

They walked arm in arm back to the van, pressed into each other’s sides, matching strides despite their mismatched heights. They buckled themselves in and Rhett flashed him a brilliant grin as he started the engine. “Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”


End file.
